Adding your own moves to
the wrestling games is perhaps one of the most exciting prospects. However,
you may be disappointed to discover that it's also the hardest! The visuals in
a game go far beyond a mere "animation". There is just as much code that
brings it all to life and makes it mean something. You'll have to get your
head around that in order to make your own moves work properly. This tutorial
covers the basics...

Source
AnimationThis tutorial assumes that
you've already created the animation in question. There is no time to go into
that here. However, I did document my thoughts on the animating process in this article from 2006. You
may want to glance at it before you consider making your own. You can also find
the original animation files in
the Graphics section of this site. Whatever you create, it's important to
export the 3DS file to the game's directory so that it has access to it. The
default ones are located in "Characters/Sequences/Moves". If you're adding one
or two little moves to a file that already exists, you don't need to worry about
this first step. However, if you're intent on creating your own separate file
full of new animations, you'll have to make sure that the program is aware of
it. You must open up Anims.bb and make a new entry in the
LoadSequences( ) section show above. Simply copy the way previous animation
sequences have been referred to, but remember to change the number inside
pSeq(cyc,???) to something unique. You should also enter the correct file
names of your new creations (I have used "Custom_Execute.3ds" as an example).
Remember there are TWO sides to every move animation - the "execution" of the
move and the "receiving" of the move...

Specific
FramesOnce you're clear about where
your animations are located, you need to get specific about which frames are
relevant to your move. Load up Moves.bb and at the top you'll see all the
animations being processed by LoadMoveSequences( ) function. This is what
happens before every match when the characters are loaded into the game. It puts
considerable strain on the game's loading time and performance, so you shouldn't
add lots of animations arbitrarily. You'll notice that most of the moves are
preceded by the MoveRequired( ) function. This surveys the scene to see
if the animation needs to be loaded up at all (because if no wrestler has it in
his arsenal, it doesn't!). I've excluded it from this example, but if you end up
adding lots of moves you should reinstate it to be used with each move's unique
ID. To get started on your first move, the most important thing is that you use
ExtractAnimSeq to load in the frames of your animation. Each separate
animation is assigned to the variable called pSeq(cyc,???) - complete
with a unique number inside. Those of the 2 you will add should carry on from
the previous one (466 and 467 respectively in this case). Notice there is one
for the "execution" of the move and another for "receiving" it as a victim. The
reference to pSeq( ) at the end is the SOURCE animation we talked about
in the previous step. Make sure these numbers correspond to the numbers you
assigned to your 3DS file. The two numbers in the middle of the line are the
frames at which your particular animation starts and ends. Revisit your
animation and check what these are if you didn't notice them. It's important
because these are the frames of animation that the game will pull out and
associate with your move...

Preparing
To ProgramOnce the game has a handle on
your animation, it's time for the real work to begin! It needs its own chunk of
code in the program in order to be used. It's not advisable to start from
scratch, so scroll down to the MoveAnims( ) section of Moves.bb
and pick out a move that resembles your own. If you choose wisely, this will
save a lot of work later. Simply copy all the code under that move's heading and
then paste it down at the bottom of the list BEFORE the one reserved for the
"Reversal Process" at the end...

Triggering
The AnimationYou should now identify your
move with its own name and enter in a unique animation number where it says
pAnim(cyc)=???. This number will forever be associated with your move.
Notice that it bears no relation to the animation numbers you used at the
pSeq(cyc,???) stage. This is because there are TWO animations ("executing"
and "receiving") that go into any ONE move, so the number of moves will always
be out of kilter with the number of animations. Bearing this in mind, alter the
references to animA and animB at the top of your code to your
executing and receiving sequences respectively. For your first move, they should
be 466 and 467 as shown in the example. At this juncture, you'll also notice
that it's possible to change the speed at which the move animation plays. 2.0 is
the standard, but you may need to increase it or decrease it based on how many
frames you used and what suits the move best. It's of no concern now and can be
dealt with later...

Sound
EffectsThose numbers are all the game
needs to trigger the animation properly, so skip past the seemingly important
Animate line and start taking a look at what else goes into a move. You'll
first thing you'll notice are a bunch of sound effects that tie into the
animation. These aren't exactly important, but we might as well get it out of
the way. There are 3 main sounds - the "shuffling" of bodies touching, a "step"
on the ground (pStepTim(cyc)=99 makes it play), and the "swing" of a body
being thrown. You'll notice that each one is preceded by a reference to
pAnimTim(cyc). As you'd expect, this refers to how far along the animation
is. The number inside Int(??/pAnimSpeed(cyc)) should be the time you
would expect it to play. Simply take a look at your animation and make a note of
where you would expect to hear a step or a shuffle. However many frames in that
is from the start is the magic number you're looking for. The steps and the
shuffles aren't important and sound right anywhere, but it's important that the
"swoosh" sound is timed perfectly. The number at the end of the ProduceSound(
) function also indicates how loud it should be. The default is 0
which is randomized around a regular volume. Anything beyond that is a specific
volume ranging from 0.1 (quietest) to 1.0 (loudest)...

Reversals &
FumblesAfter the sound effects, things
start to get more interesting and important. If you think it should be possible
to reverse your move halfway through, you can set the time at which this stands
a chance of happening. Simply look back at your animation and clock how many
frames in the key moment is. You then replace the number inside Int(??/pAnimSpeed(cyc))
with this. Fortunately, the ReverseMove( ) function then takes care of
everything else automatically! A similar moment is when the move might fall
apart, and that tends to occur around the same time with the BreakMove
function. However, there are some extra details you need to feed into this
function. The number in the middle after cyc and v tells us what
kind of move it is. 0 means it requires skill, 1 means it requires
strength, and 2 means it requires agility. Similarly, the number at the
end indicates how likely a failure is. 1 means the move is very safe and
easy, whereas 5 means it is extremely difficult to execute (i.e. a
finisher). Take a look at how similar moves have been coded and consider using
the numbers I gave those...

Mid-Air
ManoeuvringNext we move onto yet more
things that can take place during the move. If you think it should be possible
to change the direction of your move in mid-air, you should keep any references
to the MoveTurn( ) function. This is also quite simple and does all the
hard work for you. All you have to worry about is entering the correct number at
the end, which is the speed at which it turns in a given direction. You may find
2.0 is too swift and 1.0 looks more realistic. You may also find it's turning in
the wrong direction based on the orientation of the move, in which case you can
reverse it by changing it to a NEGATIVE number. This tends to be the case for
moves that fall backwards like suplexes. Similarly, the FindSmashes( )
function will find any items or bystanders that the move should be smashing
into! There's no need to fiddle with this one. The reference to "limbs" in the
middle is automatically figuring out whether the head or hips of the victim are
overlapping with anything vulnerable. Incidentally, any references to v
are a shorthand for "victim". If the perpetrator of the move is falling too, you
may see a FindSmashes( ) function that begins with cyc to refer to
him. The important thing is that you enter the correct times during which these
things should take place. Notice it is a case of > and < instead
of =. You need to look at your animation and figure out the times during
which it should be possible to turn or bang into things...

Throw-OutsA similar line you may see
towards the end of a move is the risk of it spilling out of the ring. The
MoveThrowOut( ) function deals with this. Again, you need to feed into it
the two times during which this should be possible (usually only a brief period
when the victim flies beyond rope height). At the end, there's also an important
number to enter which helps the game understand what kind of move is causing the
opponent to be thrown out. They are as follows:1 = Thrown forward, feet first onto back (i.e. bodyslam)2 = Thrown forward, head first onto back (i.e. chokeslam)3 = Thrown behind, feet first onto back (i.e. suplex)4 = Thrown behind, head first onto back (i.e. back suplex)5 = Thrown forward, forward first onto front (i.e. press slam)6 = Thrown forward, feet first onto front (i.e. suplex drop)7 = Thrown behind, head first onto front (i.e. flapjack)8 = Thrown behind, feet first onto front (i.e. reverse suplex)9 = Thrown behind, sideways onto front (i.e. gorilla press slam)10 = Thrown forward, sideways onto front (i.e. double lift)

Moment Of
ImpactAll of the above are luxuries
for the perfectionist, so feel free to omit them at first. What is absolutely
essential is the moment of impact that comes near the end of the code. Again,
the timing needs to be right as you assess when the victim thumps to the ground
and enter this number after pAnimTim(cyc)=???. There's then a special
MoveImpact( ) function that does most of the hard work for you - but not all
of it. There are 3 numbers you need to enter to help the game make sense of the
move. The one at the end is simply a check to see whether weapons should be an
issue or not. If the move uses the right hand at the moment of impact then your
should probably set it to 1 to acknowledge that. Otherwise set it to 0
to ignore weapons. The larger number in the middle is a power rating that falls
between 1 and 10 (though seldom below 5). This indicates
how much damage the move should do to an opponent. A normal move should be 5,
6, or 7, whereas finishers tend to be 8, 9, or 10.
The first number after cyc and v tells us what TYPE of impact
we're dealing with and helps to emit the right sound effects, etc. The options
are as follows:0 = Attack impact (i.e. standing clothesline)1 = Gentle slam/drop (i.e. bodyslam)2 = Hard slam/drop (i.e. press slam)3 = One body crushed against another (i.e. belly-to-belly slam)4 = Head crush (i.e. stunner)5 = Extreme impact (i.e. superplex)

Ending The
AnimationNow all that remains is to make
sure that the animation ends smoothly. Believe it or not, this is actually one
of the trickiest parts! An error here can ruin the entire effect and prevent the
move from blending into the action. First, you need to be sure that
pAnimTim(cyc)>??? refers to the EXACT moment the animation ends. If the
wrestlers have not finished moving by this point then their transition into a
lying state will look jumpy. For the artist, it's also important that the shapes
of the bodies are consistent with those of other moves at the end. As we shall
see, move animations don't have the luxury of blending smoothly into the next
animation so we have to cover the cracks ourselves. To do this, we have to call
on my SharpTranstion( ) function. It's important that both ChangeAnim(
) and SharpTransition( ) both refer to the same animation as found in
Anims.bb. They will normally be either 150 for lying on the back
or 152 for lying on the front. In this case, the perpetrator of the move
remains standing up with an animation of 0 and only the victim lay on his
back with an animation of 150. The last number in the SharpTransition(
) function can also be important. This is the ANGLE that you want the person
to end up at. 0 means their orientation is no different to when the move
started, but you will often see 180 which means they have been tossed
onto their backs from a suplex. -1 asks the game to assess the situation
for itself based on the data in the animation file, but this is not recommended.
The remaining number 1 that you see is a similar check that asks if you
want to update the wrestler's location based on what happened in the move. We
invariably do, so just leave it at 1. The final piece of code is a call
to the EndMove( ) function which takes care of everything else for you...

Adding To
The LibraryYour move is technically done
at this juncture and all that remains is to look up the "Moves" section of
Values.bb and make a new entry to the arsenal. First, you should increment
the moveList(1) number to acknowledge that the list of moves has
expanded. Then copy the last move you see in the list, remembering to update the
n number to the next number along (73 in this case). n is a
temporary variable I use to save myself typing out the same number several
times! You'll often see it at the beginning of lines of code like this. All you
have to worry about is adding the correct info for your move. The name you give
it will appear in the editor to help people select it. The moveAnim( )
number on the end should be the same as the unique animation number your move
had in Moves.bb (pAnim(cyc)=???). Remember this is NOT the same as
either of the two numbers that were given to the fiddly little sequences with
pSeq(cyc)=???! You should also stay away from the number 1 that we
see in brackets on this list. We would normally change things like that, but
here it identifies the move as a "standing" (i.e. regular) move and should not
be changed...

The Next
StepOnce all of the above has been
taken care of, you should see your new move in the editor and can finally see
how it looks in the game! Prepare to be disappointed though, because the chances
of it being perfect first time are pretty slim. Both the code and the animation
itself will needed to be tidied up over several sessions. But once you do get
the hang of it, you may want to spread your wings and tackle GROUND moves in
Ground.bb instead of the "standing" moves we've dealt with in this tutorial.
You will find that these are mostly "submission" moves which work slightly
differently and use twice as many animations. The principles are the same
though, so if you copy an existing move it shouldn't be hard to adapt it to suit
your own. You may also want to look at the top rope moves in Buckles.bb
and even the double-team moves in Teams.bb! These are extremely
challenging animations to produce, but the programming remains the same...